Cleaning up our acts

Tuesday

Nov 20, 2018 at 3:01 AM

A coalition of Cape citizens concerned about the environment recently convened a summit, bringing together individuals from the worlds of business, environmental protection, and local government. They focused on finding ways to reduce the usage of single-use plastics, an ubiquitous problem that swaps short-term convenience for long-term environmental hazards. With any luck, the summit will be the first of many such meetings to help find ways to reduce our outsized impact on the world of nature.

Plastic has become such a huge part of our lives it is easy to understand why we don’t even see it any more. Everything – from appliances to automobiles to strollers to outlet covers - either contains plastic components or is completely composed of it. These items, however, at least provide lasting value in terms of use. This is not the case for single-use items: from straws to water bottles to plastic bags at the grocery store, our world is literally filled with plastic that is used and discarded with little or no thought.

And although recycling helps keep a percentage of this used plastic from heading off to landfills or incinerators, the truth is that the world as a whole would be much better off if we reduced the need to produce petroleum-based products in the first place.

The some four-dozen individuals who attended the "Protecting Our Environment from Plastic Pollution and Litter" summit on Nov. 1 understand that changing people’s lifestyle choices is a lot easier to talk about than to actually accomplish, but that did not seem to deter them in the least. In fact, the summit prompted calls for the different groups to reconvene in the future.

Organizers noted that a number of towns across Cape Cod have already made inroads in helping to reduce the public’s appetite for one-use plastics. For example, many communities have passed bylaws banning single-use plastic bags within town borders, specifically at grocery stores, where such bags have long been a staple. This has prompted an increased usage of reusable bags, although many of us still need to remember to bring them with us into other retail businesses.

Another victory in the fight against plastics has come with a reduction in the usage of plastic straws. In some towns, such as Chatham, plastic straws have been banned outright. In other communities, patrons must ask for a straw rather than simply being handed one automatically. A number of area restaurants have even taken on the responsibility of acting as good environmental stewards, switching out plastic straws for paper or plant-based fiber options. Similarly, some of those same businesses now favor compostable utensils instead of the traditional plastic silverware usually found at fast-food restaurants.

Plastic water bottles have also fallen into environmental disfavor, and for good reason. On average, less than 10 percent of the bottles are recycled nationally. Some towns and schools have responded to this challenge by installing filtered water refill stations and encouraging employees and students to use refillable options rather than simply buying a new bottle every time they are thirsty.

All of this, of course, comes at a cost. Part of the reason plastic has been and remains so common is because it remains relatively inexpensive when compared with other options. Plastic also provides a level of durability not found in all of the competing products. Unfortunately, it is that very sense of permanence that makes plastic such a long-term problem.

Participants at the summit called for more collaboration, but it will require a wider effort to advocate for multi-use options and to make single-use plastic items less socially acceptable. Businesses willing to make the leap to renewable and reusable resources should be lauded for their efforts, which will hopefully incentivize other companies to follow.

Obviously, there are times, such as in the medical industry, where single-use plastics offer us much more than convenience, but for the most part, we have become addicted to plastic without even realizing it. Hopefully, this summit has laid a foundation for helping to break our plastic habit.

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